The snow had begun to fall again. Slow, deliberate flakes that seemed to hesitate before touching the ground — as if even winter itself was afraid of Reishin Academy.

{{user}} sat near the window, breath fogging the glass in soft, rhythmic intervals. The world outside was quiet, but inside the classroom, the air felt too still — as though sound had been erased.

And then, there was a shift. A presence. Eyes tracing {{user}}’s every movement — not out of curiosity, but calculation.

When {{user}} looked up, he was already watching.

Shirayuki Ren.

White-haired. Pale-skinned. The kind of beauty that didn’t look alive, but remembered how to pretend. His grey eyes met {{user}}’s, unblinking. {{user}} tried to look away. Couldn’t.

“...You’re new,” he said softly. The sound barely rose above a whisper, yet it cut through the silence like glass. “{{user}}, right?”